


As Atlas Turns: Silent Night

by BlueSteelFairy



Category: RWBY
Genre: F/M, INCEST FREE, Polyamory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-24
Updated: 2019-12-24
Packaged: 2021-02-25 21:21:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,229
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21942067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueSteelFairy/pseuds/BlueSteelFairy
Summary: As team RWBY has finally arrived in Atlas, Weiss finds herself with those she loves for the holidays, considering the weight of secrets...
Relationships: James Ironwood/Weiss Schnee, James Ironwood/Winter Schnee
Kudos: 22





	As Atlas Turns: Silent Night

**Author's Note:**

  * For [BrokenLevel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BrokenLevel/gifts).



So far, none of Weiss’s teammates had noticed her sneaking out at night now that they’d arrived at Atlas. At least if they had noticed, none of them had said anything. She supposed keeping secrets was something that Blake specialized in, and respected. Ruby was a pretty damn sound sleeper, but Weiss suspected if Yang had noticed her creeping out during the night, she’d have been interrogated in detail.

However, Weiss had gotten good at sneaking about, hadn’t she? Like the day she’d left the Schnee Manor to find the rest of her team. That was the irony she imagined, given where she was heading. Not for the Manor, of course, or her father. But her father hadn’t been alone when she’d frozen the study door shut.

How could she possibly start to explain herself, her sister, and the general? It was complicated enough that Ironwood’s second was also his lover (and definitely not public knowledge). Weiss had spent considerable energy making sure no one even suspected James’s romantic relationships with both Schnee Sisters. To begin of course, there was question about the legality of the relationship. And so at the beginning, Weiss and Ironwood had a very chaste dynamic. Countless letters had gone back and forth from Atlas Academy to Beacon so they could get to know each other better. By the time he arrived to help smooth things out for the Vytal Festival, Weiss had been thrilled to see him again. She hadn’t realized how much half a year could change her as a person-but it had. And he had been her closest confidante, even closer then her partner and team leader, Ruby.

But it made Weiss’s soul lighter to use the spare key to her sister’s penthouse apartment-which despite having his own place was basically where Ironwood lived. And though her relationship with Winter was strictly sisterly, it did her good to see two of the most important people in her life alive and well. Occasionally, she’d arrive later in the night and find them passed out together. Not in bed, she’d have to wake them to tuck them in against their protests. Usually they were on the sofa, looking over plans and data to map out their next move.

Other times, they’d be in the kitchen preparing a late dinner, or desert. On her favorite occasions, Weiss arrived to find them dancing together. Her sister had always loved to dance, but Winter had to do it on her own terms. Most often, however, when Weiss arrived, only Winter or James was home. And they were clearly worried about the other, and the state of Atlas and Mantle.

When Winter had first revealed General Ironwood’s plants regarding the Maiden of the same name, Weiss had almost lost her mind. It wasn’t either of their faults, and after she had time to consider it, it wasn’t a bad plan. However, it had flashed her back to Beacon Academy, and what Qrow had told them about Pyrrha’s fate. If a similar plan hadn’t led to the death of a close and admired friend, she wouldn’t have had her knee jerk reaction. She could only see it happening again too easily. Cinder arriving, and burning Winter to ash in order to steal the Winter Maiden’s powers because she had more experience with them.

Weiss had woken up to that nightmare more then once in a cold sweat. It was usually when she made to rejoin her team before they woke in the morning. And while seeing her sister and their lover did her heart good-it also made it feel heavy. She and her team were hiding things. She’d tried to reason to herself about it. What one question could they use to resolve their situation? Would it do him any good to know Salem couldn’t be killed? Did he know about Ozpin’s history with their enemy?

She couldn’t do it. She’d spent several nights laying awake beside Ironwood, and trying to decide how or what to tell him. In the end, there was nothing. She believed his plan was the best next move. The information couldn’t help him with that, could it? He was going to reconnect Remnant as it hadn’t been since Beacon fell. And then, only then, they’d tell the truth to the entire world at once.

It wasn’t a bad plan. Honestly, Weiss thought it could help to some extent. If Salem was the source of all Grimm, they knew where they came from. They weren’t limitless. At least, she didn’t think so?

“Winter? Have you ever had to keep a secret from James?”

Weiss inquired it the night of Yule, and Winter paused in the kitchen. They’d been baking sugar cookies and rum balls together, waiting for Ironwood to turn up when he was done working for the day. It would be late, but Weiss had actually told her team she’d be away-visiting her sister.  
“On occasion,” Winter admitted quietly, and something about her expression made Weiss wonder if she was keeping the same secret from her. There was a ghost in her eyes: the ghost of growing up in the Schnee Household.

“What sort of occasion?”

“For the most part, I tell him all about myself, and what he needs to know about my missions. But there are elements I may omit. Things I knew he’d...carry heavier then others. Things he would hate knowing I have to do-and have done before. So I tell him the information that’s most important for strategy, intel collected, but I don’t tell him details that wouldn’t help him. And-well I suppose I’ve kept one personal secret from him.”

Weiss’s mind raced at her sister’s confession. Her imagination went to dark places, because Winter was in special operations-not Ace. It required a lot of undercover work, where she wore other personas and identities. But for the most part, Weiss couldn’t imagine many details it would hurt Ironwood to know.

Unless they’re intimate.

“...can you tell me?” Weiss spoke softly, “I won’t repeat it. I swear. But. I think you need to tell someone. The personal secret.”

“Are you sure you want to know?” Winter worried her lip then, “It’s. Not a good thing.”

“I’m your sister,” Weiss reached for her hand, “Try me. I understand secrets better then I used to.”

Winter faced her to consider her sister, and she smiled.  
“I suppose you have grown up quite a bit since you first left for Beacon. I was right to encourage you and Ironwood find companionship with each other.”

“Is that what you encouraged?” She snorted, “If I recall you suggested I write him as a pen pal when I told you I admired him.”  
“Mmm. Yes, well, he’d also confessed to me the night before that you’d kissed him, so I suspected you had additional interest you weren’t divulging.”

Weiss felt her cheeks flush, because she remembered the night well. She had stormed out of a party after her father tried to make a power play over her life. Ironwood had been kind enough to give her a lift to Winter’s place to stay the night. And on a whim, feeling empowered, she’d tip toed and tugged him down to kiss. Her first kiss, in fact. And then she’d wished him a good night and found her cheeks pink for nearly an hour after.

“I couldn’t-we couldn’t then. I was only seventeen, that alone could have caused legal ramifications, not just reputation. Besides, we barely knew each other.”

“Which was why I suggested the letter writing,” She chuckled softly, “Would it shock you to know in my final year at the academy we started to send each other encoded love letters, anonymously?”

“-you were still a student?” Her eyes widened as she looked up at her sister, “When-”  
“Like you, we waited until it was appropriate, and didn’t do anything until after he wasn’t my headmaster anymore,” Winter smiled wryly, “I omitted the fact that I’d already sent in enlistment paperwork. Technically that’s against regulations, but, well.”  
“But now you two are the highest ranking people in Atlas,” Weiss giggled softly, “Is that the secret then?”

“No, it’s not,” Winter bit her lip and drew a hand through her hair, which for once was down, “I don’t know where to start.”

“Maybe start with the beginning?”  
“Fair enough.”

Weiss waited for her sister to speak, and she could tell it was a heavy secret. She couldn’t rush her on this, even if she wanted to help carry the burden. She started to sip her eggnog when Winter finally spoke.

“Mother had a lover before she married Father. In fact, I’m quite positive Father isn’t my biological father. But due to who I strongly suspect it was, I don’t want to tell him.”

That hadn’t been remotely what Weiss suspected, and she sputtered as bits of egg nog flew from her lips.

“I mean,” She caught her breath and turned to Winter, “I can believed it. Quite easily, honestly. But why would it be bad if Ironwood knew?”  
“I...I’m afraid he’d look at me differently,” Winter admitted, “If he knew who my biological father might be.”

“And he is?”

“I’m not sharing that information unless you share what secret you don’t want to tell him.”

Weiss imagined Winter had planned it as a checkmate move. But what she hadn’t realized-and what Weiss herself hadn’t realized-was she wanted to give up the game. Suddenly, she was racing, talking about Jinn, the lamp, the third question, Ozpin’s history with Salem, and the revelation that Salem couldn’t be killed.

Winter didn’t sputter like Weiss had, but she did go still in place, glass partially lifted to her lips.  
“-and I think that’s why I freaked out when I realized he wants you to be the next Winter Maiden. Because Ruby’s drunk uncle said Pyrrha had been doing similar, or trying to become the next Autumn Maiden when Cinder attacked. The night Pyrrha died, the night Cinder murdered her. And I don’t want to lose you, but I know you’re going to be constantly in danger even if you aren’t the Winter Maiden. But after Grandfather left for his expedition and never came back-I’m afraid. I can’t close off like I used to, thanks to my team. I feel things. And I care about people. So now I’m constantly worried I’ll lose someone I love.”

“I...see.” Winter swallowed and put the glass down to breath and process, “I understand. Why you and your friends haven’t shared this information. That makes two out of three headmasters who’ve hidden things from you. One of whom betrayed you. And.”

She crossed the kitchen, and Weiss heard the door lock starting click. Three locks of tumblers, but suddenly she was aware of everything she’d just revealed. Panic seized her, until her sister spoke, mixing a nip of brandy into a third glass of eggnog.

“I don’t suggest repeating any of this to him. Not yet. I-don’t like the idea of using that Jinn, honestly. I feel like phrasing and logistics are important, and James has plenty to worry about without trying to come up with the perfect question. I don’t think finding out about Ozpin’s history with Salem would help any of the current planning.”

“And Salem’s immortality?”

“That wasn’t what Jinn said, was it?” Winter glanced at her as she turned around to cross to the door. Two locks left, Weiss listened to the door. “She said ‘you can’t’ to Ozpin. That doesn’t mean she can’t be killed. Just that Ozpin can’t be the one to do it. And it doesn’t speak of other ways to incapacitate or defeat the enemy. One step at a time.”  
“Oh.”

All of that made sense, and Weiss followed her to the edge of the kitchen as she carried the glass towards the door. In fact, it took the weight off Weiss’s heart that had been hanging there. His plan will work. She declared to herself.  
“Oh! Who do you think-mother had that affair with?” It seemed nicer then just asking ‘then who is your father’. And Weiss almost felt jealous of the thought that her older sister might not be Jacques’s child.

“Oh, right,” Winter paused and glanced over her shoulder to catch her sister’s gaze, “Your team leader’s drunk uncle.”

Weiss didn’t have an answer to that as the final lock opened, and Winter opened the door to let him in. He blinked, still holding the keys, and seeing them both he smiled. Granted, Weiss almost didn’t see it beneath his beard. She’d tried to convince him to shave, but apparently Winter liked it (for some reason).

“I’ll never understand why either one of you deems me worthy of your time,” He chuckled as he stepped inside, “Much less both of you tolerating our bizarre arrangement.”  
“Because we love you, you fool,” Winter declared as she held out the glass to him, leaning up to catch his lips.

Weiss decided not to think about Winter’s bombshell as she walked over to embrace him. They were there not to dwell on the shadows of their world. Instead, they were going to enjoy the light, and they ones they loved. So Weiss peeked up at Ironwood, and smiled brightly.  
“Happy Yule, James. And I still won’t kiss you until you shave that hideous thing off your face.”


End file.
